Home / NEWS / Developers in Saudi urged to implement green building designs

Developers in Saudi urged to implement green building designs

by Nikhil Pereira on Feb 25, 2018

Sustainable building designs are being encouraged in Saudi Arabia [representational image].

Sustainable building designs will play a vital role in boosting the kingdom's Vision 2030 goals, industry experts have said ahead of the Big 5 Saudi in Jeddah.

The event, scheduled to run from 5 to 8 March, 2018, will see industry leaders explore the current status of the Saudi green building movement.

Dr Mohammed S. Al Surf, US Green Building Council faculty regional manager, said: “Applying [sustainable] building methods to residential projects is a win-win case, where all stakeholders benefit from the economic, environmental, and social pillars of sustainability.

"Owners benefit by reducing the cost of running the building, the occupants will feel healthier, and the community will benefit from engaging together.”

Omar Al Touqi, a senior civil engineer at University of Jeddah, said concrete can be crushed and used for roads, or that steel reinforcing bars can be melted and reused for construction.

Meanwhile, Dr Dina Al Nahd, chief executive officer and partner at Entec Environmental Technology, was quoted by TradeNews Arabia as saying: “The private sector is now aware of the need to build this way. They know that, in this millennium, you have to consider the sustainable concept; that’s energy efficiency, water efficiency and reuse, and solid waste management.”

Roni El Haddad, the event director for The Big 5 Saudi, added: “Vision 2030 [aims to raise] the contribution to GDP of real estate alone [...] from 5% to 10% by the deadline.

"There are over 3,300 urban projects underway, representing 70% of all Saudi construction. [Moreover,] There are [...] 4,700 construction projects active in the kingdom today.”